According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Raiders actually GOT the first-round pick back, as Dallas was apparently willing to give up their first rounder in exchange for Cooper.

This is insanity. Cooper was taken with a first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Raiders and proceeded to put up huge numbers in his first two seasons. The last two years have been huge disappointments and Cooper's been all over the map this year, with two games over 115 receiving yards and four games with under 40 receiving yards.

Cooper suffered a concussion against the Seahawks in London during a Week 6 debacle, but none of that was enough to deter the desperate Cowboys from dealing a first-round pick in exchange for him.

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Dallas fell to 3-4 with a loss to the Redskins on Sunday, and perhaps Jerry Jones is less interested in putting the blame on Jason Garrett for his conservative play calling and more interested in putting the blame on himself for not surrounding Prescott with the necessary talent.

Adding someone like Cooper certainly goes a long way towards helping out, but this is a weird situation from a contract perspective. Cooper is in the final year of his original rookie contract in 2018. Next year he'll be under the fifth-year option, which will cost the Cowboys $13 million.

At some point in between now and the end of the 2019 season, Cooper is going to want a long-term contract. The Cowboys basically just admitted they plan on giving it to him by coughing up a first-round pick for the former Alabama wide receiver.

It's very reminiscent of the Roy Williams trade the Cowboys pulled off nearly 10 years ago to the day. On Oct. 14, 2008, Dallas coughed up a bunch of draft picks in order to acquire Williams from the Lions, including a future first-round pick. Jones was the architect of that deal too, believing his team was one receiver away from going over the top. Jones later said how much he regretted the move, which ended up with the Cowboys giving Williams a $54 million extension. Dallas certainly hopes Cooper works out better.

From the Raiders' perspective, it feels weird to credit Jon Gruden for completely gutting his roster, because Oakland is going to STINK out loud the rest of this season. But he's getting a lot back in exchange for the players he's shipping out. The Raiders now have FIVE first-round picks in the next two seasons, setting them up to control the draft.

If the goal is to be peaking when you get to Las Vegas, or at least find yourself with lots of young players on your roster, Gruden is putting himself in pretty good position with these moves. Getting rid of Khalil Mack and Cooper isn't the most advisable plan to win football games, but having the security of a 10-year, $100 million contract certainly gives you the flexibility to make moves for the long term.

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Will Brinson joined CBS Sports in 2010 and enters his seventh season covering the NFL for CBS. He previously wrote for FanHouse along with myriad other Internet sites. A North Carolina native who lives...
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